Council apologises for food waste bin errors
Paul Moseley/BBCA council has apologised after wrongly delivering food waste bins to dozens of households.
North Tyneside Council is preparing to roll out the first phase of food waste collections in the area next week.
However, the authority said it had received 131 requests to remove caddies delivered in error to properties who had opted out of the first phase.
A spokesperson for the Labour-led authority said there was no cost implication for sending them out and that collections of unwanted caddies were under way.
According to council figures, 3,338 households opted out of phase one, out of a total of 10,016.
Leader of the North Tyneside Conservative group, councillor John Johnsson said what initially appeared to be an issue affecting Preston Grange residents turned out to be more widespread, with properties in Wallsend, Dudley and Annitsford areas affected.
He said: "Clearly, these are individual reports, and the council should establish exactly what has happened, but the number of people coming forward raises legitimate questions about whether the opt-out information was properly reflected in the delivery process."
Collection arranged
A council spokesperson said the authority had delivered caddies to more than 32,000 homes.
They said: "This has been a major operation and, given the number of deliveries involved, a small number of caddies have been delivered in error.
"We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused. Residents can keep the caddy in case they decide to use the service in future."
They added unwanted caddies could also be returned or a collection arranged.
